Save Lewisham A&E Rally: Sat 24 Nov 2pm

Meet Saturday 24th November 2pm at Lewisham Station then march to Ladywell Field.  3pm hands around the hospital

Mike Davey Lewisham Hospital UNISON Nursing Representative

"The staff in the hospital are looking forward to a huge turnout for the Rally on Saturday from the local community, we urge them to attend the rally in their thousands. We also urge them to complete the response to the A&E closure plans on line and before the 13th December deadline"

"UNISON is confident that if the community can make it's voice heard now, then significant changes can be secured"

UPDATE: BBC report

Lisa Nandy MP and John Cryer MP Fund Raiser

Picture from last week's Labour Party fund raising meal in Southwark for Lisa Nandy MP and John Cryer MP. 

It was a rare combination of an excellent meal, lots of table political debate (and the odd bit of juicy gossip) as well as some great speeches. 

Guest speakers were John Healey MP and Dennis Skinner MP with the traditional Labour Party auction led by the Daily Mirror's finest, Kevin McGuire.   The supporters were local Party members, affiliated unions, friends and family.

Dennis gave a typical barn storming speech.  He pointed out that in 1997 £33 Billion was spent on the NHS while in 2010 Labour spent £113 billion.  He is a survivor of Cancer and a Heart attack who would not be here now without the NHS.

He talked about the "Tribune Test".    He and John don't just disagree with the Tories but both of them detest them and what they do.

John Healey talked about how he use to manage 2000 people as Housing minister, however he is now ordering his own stationary and photocopying.  He notes that despite defeat the Labour Party has not turned amongst ourselves as the Tories did in 1997.  There is so much at stake and so much depends on us.  What the Tories did in 1980s with Utilites they will now do now with our public services. 

They are not making these cuts because they need to - it is because they want to.

Update: in the traditional Labour Party raffle I won "Change" by Barack Obama.

Vote John Gray for London rep on UNISON “Community” Executive (please)

I’m standing in the UNISON Service Group Executive (SGE) elections for the London general seat on the brand new national committee for the “Community and Voluntary” sector. Attached is a flyer that I have been sending out with the following message (double click to bring up detail)

“Dear UNISON Community Member - I am standing for election to be your London rep on the new national group for UNISON members who work in the Community & Voluntary sector. You should be getting ballot papers sent to your home address in the next few days.

Firstly a little bit about me: I am a lifelong trade unionist and member of the UNISON Housing Associations Branch where I am the Assistant Branch Secretary, Health & Safety and Labour Link Officer. I am also the UNISON Regional Finance convenor.

My first paid job was as a Welfare Rights Advisor for a voluntary organisation. I am now employed as an Estate Officer by Circle Anglia Housing Association after being TUPE’d from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets 3 years ago. A third of the people I represent work in social care schemes and projects.

What I want to do: Members working in housing associations and the voluntary sector know all too well about job insecurity and instability. Most members have had to deal with numerous reorganisations or being TUPE’d due to cuts in funding or mergers. We need to build stewards’ networks so that they can support each other and share knowledge, ideas and experiences. I would like to see specialist training introduced for stewards in our sector dealing with Community specific issues such as transfers and threats to our basic terms and conditions.

Stewards and members can feel isolated at work and we need to ensure that they know that UNISON can support them and how they can access this support. I would like to see more email networks and electronic forums set up as a way of linking our members and stewards together.

We must raise the profile of health & safety at work. Not only to protect us from the risk of violence but also occupational stress due to bullying or unmanageable workloads.

I am committed to listening to your views, making your voice heard and ensuring you and the branches with community and voluntary sector members get the support and the resources we deserve.

If you want to contact me you can ring 07977 285 297 or johndotmdotgrayatntlworlddotcom or via Facebook or even John’s Labour blog at http://grayee.blogspot.com/.

Many thanks - John Gray”

This election hasn’t come at an entirely opportune moment for me since I am a little bit busy doing other things however such is life. If you know anyone eligible to vote then could you download the pdf and send it to them.

Also standing on behalf of the forces of light and reason in UNISON Health SGE seats in London are Mike Davey and Monica Hirst while in Local Government SGE its Margaret Back and Peter Daley.